tonight, the deadly avalanche and new flood evacuations as another storm begins sweeping across the country. the frantic search at a ski resort in northern california. the avalanche leaving at least one person dead.

the new cross-country storm already bringing blizzard conditions to the northwest while thousands of miles away in the northeast, evacuations ordered after a dam burst in connecticut. people piling into boats to escape. al roker is tracking the new threat. also tonight, the shake-up in the 2024 gop primary race. chris christie dropping out. what he was heard saying on a hot mic about rival nikki haley as she debates ron desantis tonight in iowa for the final time before the caucuses without front-runner donald trump. hunter biden making a surprise appearance on capitol hill at a hearing on holding him in contempt for defying a republican subpoena. boeing's ceo admitting the company made a mistake after a door plug blew off a plane. the cnbc exclusive. why was it allowed to fly in the first place? how he answered. nbc news investigates toxic

lead from battery recycling plants released into communities. what are state officials doing about it? and musicians versus machines. the first state to propose a law protecting artists from a.i. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, and welcome, everyone. tonight, millions from the snowy midwest to the tornado-scarred southeast are still in the throes of yesterday's severe and deadly weather outbreak. many communities in the northeast today battling the aftermath of floods after several inches of rain driven by powerful winds and leaving many without power. along the gulf coast, recovery will take longer after 24 reported tornadoes. at least five deaths are being blamed on the storm, but there will be little time to prepare for the next one. a system pounding the west tonight, but expected to bring cross-country misery by week's end. the next storm expected to leave frigid temperatures in its wake, and tonight

heavy snow falling in the cascades and sierra nevada mountains where an avalanche has killed at least one person at a popular ski resort in california. al roker will lay out the track in a moment, but first the latest from emilie ikeda. >> reporter: tonight another winter wallop charging into the west where an avalanche at a lake tahoe ski resort killed one person and injured another according to authorities. the avalanche carved out a path 10 feet deep and 450 feet long. rescue teams rushing to the scene. >> this is a very sad day for my team and everyone here. >> reporter: this comes as tens of millions are still reeling from a winter storm that thrashed much of the country from blinding snow to tornadoes and downpours. nearly five inches of rain inundated parts of an already drenched northeast swallowing cars and flooding neighborhoods. a raging river in connecticut partially

busted a dam today. >> this dam could be at risk and right now looks like that risk is mitigating, but you can't be too careful. >> reporter: officials ordering locals to evacuate near the river as people piled into rescue boats to escape fast-rising floodwaters. >> i've been here for about 30 years now, and i don't think i've ever seen the water come this high with this kind of force. >> reporter: in northern new jersey, rescue crews out again just weeks after a december storm stranded residents. >> what's going through your mind as you're watching the water level approach your home? >> it's scary, because you don't know how high the water is going to be. every time a storm comes, we're like paranoid, because we know this is going to happen. >> reporter: new york city relocated nearly 2,000 migrants from housing in brooklyn to a high school to ride out the severe weather. at least five people died in this week's far-reaching winter storm that brought up to 15 inches of snow to iowa and two dozen

reported tornadoes across the south. cars flipped, and roofs ripped off. tonight, a massive cleanup under way after another blast of extreme barrels in. >> you're in paterson, new jersey. are the floodwaters still rising? >> reporter: lester, that's right. water rescue teams are not letting their guards down tonight with some new jersey rivers set to remain in flood stage through the next several days while more rain will batter the area again. lester. >> emilie ikeda, thank you. the new storm that caused that deadly avalanche we reported is making its way across the country. al roker is tracking it. al, where is this one going? >> lester, we've got winter weather advisories, blizzard warnings from the west coast to the upper midwest for 38 million people. the storm dives down into the rockies tomorrow bringing snow and a blast of cold from the central plains. tomorrow night we've got the risk of severe weather, a few tornadoes, nocturnal

ones most dangerous. friday blizzard conditions for missouri on into michigan. more torrential rain for the northeast, and tomorrow night, we've got, again, more tornadoes possible from montgomery to wilmington down to tallahassee and jacksonville. rainfall amounts about one to two inches in the mississippi river valley, but anywhere from three to nine inches in the upper midwest. 18 inches in the rockies, lester, and bitterly cold weather coming in right after that. >> you're keeping a watch on it, al. all right. thank you. just breaking former new jersey governor chris christie is the latest republican to drop out of the race for president while tonight nikki haley and ron desantis will face off in the final debate before the iowa caucuses next monday. garrett haake is there. >> reporter: tonight, chris christie announcing the end of his long shot presidential bid just five days before the first contest of the republican primary. >> it's clear to me tonight that there isn't a path for me to win the nomination, which is why i'm suspending my campaign tonight for president

of the united states. >> reporter: the most vocal trump critic in the gop field, the former new jersey governor, had focused his campaign on new hampshire, but struggled to gain traction. >> i am going to make sure that in no way do i enable donald trump to ever be president of the united states again, and that's more important to my own personal ambition. >> reporter: and while christie made no endorsement tonight, he already faces pressure to back nikki haley, who he has publicly defended in the past, but has repeatedly criticized in recent days including for not taking on trump more directly. >> when you ask her the tough questions, she doesn't answer. >> reporter: christie appearing to criticize her on a hot mic before his event began tonight. >> and she's going to get smoked, and you and i both know it. she's not up to this. >> reporter: on social media, trump calling that, a, quote, very truthful statement. christie's ex-kit could give haley a

boost in new hampshire where polls show she's closing the gap with trump and a recent poll shows roughly half of christie's supporters listing haley as their second choice. the two former governors sharing an appeal to similarly moderate and independent voters like zach who voted for joe biden in 2020. >> who is it going to be in 2024? >> nikki haley. >> tell me why. >> i just think at this point we need a leader who is going to go in and unify the country, someone that's willing to work on both sides of the aisle. >> and you're in iowa where the caucuses are, of course, around the corner. what's the latest there? >> reporter: well, lester, tonight haley and ron desantis will face off in the first one-on-one debate at drake university, the race's dominant front-runner donald trump is skipping choosing to counterprogram instead with a town hall on fox news. lester. >> garrett haake in des moines, thanks. a dramatic scene in washington today. the unexpected appearance of hunter biden at the impeachment inquiry of his father, president biden. ryan nobles is at the capitol.

>> tonight, hunter biden facing the threat of being held in contempt of congress surprising members of congress debating his future. the president's son was called to testify about his foreign business dealings as part of the gop impeachment inquiry into president biden. he refused to answer questions behind closed doors leading the house oversight and judiciary committees to send a resolution to the floor holding him in contempt. biden's attorney making it clear he was ready to testify in a public hearing. >> the question there is, what are they afraid of? >> reporter: but congressional republicans argue biden is breaking the law by not following the rules of their subpoena, which required a closed door testimony. >> he's spitting in our face ignoring a congressional subpoena to be deposed. what are you afraid of? you have no balls. >> reporter: as he left this morning, hunter said he was prepared to testify publicly today. >> if they called you to testify today, would you? >> yes.

>> reporter: house republicans don't think that's enough. >> time is expired. >> reporter: sending the resolution to the house floor with the promise that the next threat will be a referral to the department of justice for criminal charges, and this all comes as hunter biden is expected to appear at a los angeles courtroom on thursday to answer a new round of tax charges. lester. >> ryan nobles, thanks. let's turn now to the boeing 737 max 9 fallout after part of that plane blew away on a terrifying flight. loose bolts have been found on other max 9s, and tonight we press boeing's ceo for answers. our tom costello has more. >> reporter: five days after a near catastrophic midair emergency, the ceo of boeing, in an exclusive interview with cnbc's phil lebeau, says he was devastated and emotional seeing the gaping hole in that alaska airlines max 9 friday night. >> what i really saw was the empty seat, and i had spent a week with my kids and grandkids, and so enough said. >> reporter:

thankfully no one was seated near the hole. during a boeing safety stand-down tuesday, ceo david calhoun told employees, airline and passenger confidence in boeing is at stake. >> we're going to approach this, number one, acknowledging our mistake. >> reporter: the ntsb's focus, that blown out door plug, looking for signs of metal fatigue and whether it was ever properly secured. four critical bolts have not yet been recovered. both alaska and united airlines, which fly the max 9, report finding loose bolts around other max 9 door plugs. >> how did an unsafe airplane fly in the first place? >> because the quality -- >> reporter: he doesn't know if the breakdown happened at spirit aerosystems or boeing who turns out the plane. spirit remains focused on the quality of each

aircraft structure that leaves our facilities. transportation secretary pete buttigieg, are you concerned about the quality of product that boeing is turning out and should be the american public be concerned? >> i'll say this, every plane that they deliver to an airline, every plane that goes into the skies need to be 100% safe and need to demonstrate that. >> reporter: five years after two max 8 crashes killed 346 people overseas, ceo calhoun says the company's reputation is on the line. >> it's serious-serious. it's a safety incident, and nobody is going to live with that, period. >> reporter: united and alaska airlines are still waiting for inspection guidance from boeing and the faa, likely to take several hours per plane. for now all max 9 flights remain grounded alaska says at least through saturday. >> thanks. in 60 seconds, the alarming high-profile cases of s.w.a.t.'ing, the fake emergency calls drawing police to the homes of well-known officials. what's being done and the concerns the calls could spark real violence right after this.

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law enforcement officials say there has been an alarming rise in s.w.a.t.'ing incidents meant to draw a s.w.a.t. team to someone's home, and gabe gutierrez reports increasingly they're targeting high-profile public officials. >> reporter: it was something congressman brandon williams never expected on christmas day. >> it is a surprise when it happens to you. it's very personal. it's very violating. >> reporter: he says someone had called 911 to falsely report violence at his home. police recognized his address and called to alert him while they were on their way, but the harassment was terrifying for his family. >> i wanted to get my family into a place where they would be safe. i brought everybody into the kitchen, and, you know, i just explained what was happening, dropped everything. >> reporter: s.w.a.t.'ing, as it's known, is when someone makes a false emergency call often alleging violence at a

victim's home, so heavily armed law enforcement such as the s.w.a.t. team respond, and it's happening more often to prominent and even not so prominent public officials. among them special counsel jack smith who filed a criminal charge against former president trump accusing him of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. also, judge tanya chutkan, who is overseeing the case. maine's secretary of state shenna bellows who barred mr. trump from the state's ballot also swallow. so was congresswoman marjorie taylor greene, florida senator rick scott and boston mayor michelle wu, a trend that has the justice department on high alert. >> a deeply disturbing spike in threats against those who serve the public. >> reporter: the fbi has launched a national database to track these incidents and said s.w.a.t.ers use spoofing mechanisms to hide identities and locations. as for congressman williams of new york, he believes he was targeted because of his pro-israel views. no arrests so far.

the sheriff investigating the case stresses the calls are more than pranks. they're illegal and can be dangerous and lead to violent encounters with police. >> people that are doing this are trying to create chaos. they're trying to intimidate the individuals who are the subject of these false reports, and it's very unfortunate. >> reporter: some states including virginia and ohio have increased penalties for s.w.a.t.'ing. other states are considering it. lester. >> gabe gutierrez, thank you. up next, the community that still faces a major toxic threat from a plant that was shut down years ago. our nbc news investigation is coming up. and they can show off clearer skin and less itch with dupixent. the number one prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists, that helps heal your child's skin from within. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes, including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your child's eczema specialist about dupixent.

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back now with our nbc news investigation. the epa is deciding whether to designate at least three former battery recycling plants once run by exide technology s as superfund sites to help clean up toxic lead released into communities. cynthia mcfadden takes us to one of those communities where many say the impact has been devastating. >> reporter: here on the east side of los angeles at what was once a battery recycling plant, they've chiseled the company's name exide off the wall. if only it was as easy to erase the harm it's done to the people who live here. >> it's very evil. they're evil. >> reporter: for most of the 40 years monsignor john moretta has served the neighborhood next to the plant, he has battled to close it as

the facility knowingly released cancer-causing arsenic and lead in some places 650 times more than the state says is safe while more than 100,000 people have been affected. >> i couldn't sit up here and just pray and just think that somehow my people were going to be saved. >> reporter: he and other community leaders were finally successful in getting it shuttered in 2015 after exide admitted to felony violations including the illegal storage and disposal of hazardous waste in a settlement with the department of justice, but now nine years after the plant closed, life-threatening problems remain. honestly, you can feel that you're sucking in dirt, grime. you can feel it on your skin. the state's half billion dollar cleanup failed, and a new study obtained by nbc news shows that the contaminated area is more than twice the size originally thought. >> when we found out that our property was contaminated, we were heartbroken. >> reporter: like most

people here, guadalupe lives surrounded by her extended family. >> nobody cares how hurt we are, how sick we are. my 3-year-old is in behavioral therapy. is it a coincidence? nobody will tell me. >> reporter: children are particularly vulnerable to being poisoned by lead, which over time can cause brain damage and developmental delays. community members say despite repeated requests, the state has not provided any long-term health testing. mark lopez's family has lived here since the 1950s. >> i'm very motivated. >> reporter: he now leads a nonprofit in shuttering exide but furious they got away with a modest fine later declaring bankruptcy and dissolving in the u.s. >> when we talk about environmental racism, it's not just the fact that these facilities exist in our communities, but when disaster happens, how do the authorities

respond? and they respond in ways that tell us that our lives don't matter. >> reporter: in fact, dr. jill johnston was the lead author of a recent study that concluded the state's cleanup is not working. four out of five homes that were cleaned by the state are still contaminated. the team also concluded that 98% of homes as far as 4 1/2 miles from the former plant tested at lead levels above safe standards. state officials of the department of toxic substances control, dtsc, responsible for the cleanup have declined repeated requests for an interview. >> how good a job have they done in your estimation. >> failed completely. year after year after year dtsc has failed. >> reporter: dtsc did tell us they have hired a new contractor to run the cleanup and to run the cleanup and a third-party monitor. but after decades of failed promises, the community is both

angry and in despair. cynthia mcfadden, nbc news, los angeles. coming up for us tonight as more and more people use artificial intelligence, nashville fights to protect its artists. we'll explain, the e.l.v.i.s. act next. mike is still living in the re. with a very high risk of another heart attack or stroke. he doesn't know with his risk factors his ldl-c (bad cholesterol) is still too high - the recommended level is below 55. are you living in the red? get in the know. learn how to get a free ldl-c test at whatismyldl.com. (christina) with verizon business unlimited, i get 5g, truly unlimited data, and unlimited hotspot data. so, no matter what, i'm running this kitchen. (vo) make the switch. it's your business. it's your verizon. ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ ( bell ringing) customize and save with libberty bibberty. liberty bushumal.

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indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire finally tonight in our series "a.i. finally tonight in our series, "a.i. revolution," the new push in the country music capital to protect musicians from the machines. here's blayne alexander. >> reporter: in a state that launched some of music's most iconic voices,

tonight there's a groundbreaking new bill to help protect them. standing in nashville's legendary rca studio a, tennessee governor bill lee announced new legislation to protect artists in the age of artificial intelligence, a first of its kind bill with a very intentional name. >> it's called the ensuring likeness, voice, and image security act, e.l.v.i.s. act. the e.l.v.i.s. act. >> reporter: it would expand on existing laus protecting likeness by safeguarding the likeness of music industry professionals in unauthorized a.i. recreation. >> artificial intelligence as helpful and beneficial as it can be when used appropriately is something that can, frankly, rob and destroy an artist's career if it's used inappropriately. >> reporter: with the likes of beal street, grand ole opry, and stax records, music in tennessee is a nearly $6 billion industry. officials hope to make this bill a nationwide

blueprint. ♪ i got my heart ♪ >> reporter: the over lap between music and a.i. is growing, fast. this song went viral with a.i. generated voices of drake and the weeknd without the artists' consent but some artists like demi lovato and john legend are leaning in partnering with youtube to provide limited access to their voices for 30-second clips. back in the country music capital of the world -- >> no one wants to hear their voice or see their image taken without permission or used out of context. >> reporter: striving for harmony between music and technology. blayne alexander, nbc news. that's "nightly news" for this wednesday. thank you for watching, everyone. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night.

right now at 4:30 an avalanche hits palisades ski resort in tahoe. one of man was killed. four skiers